From the Director

From the Director

BCT Summer Camp registration is happening now!

We've got July all planned out for many wonderfully wacky outdoor theatrical experiences for campers ages 7-15. A delightful thing about BCT is the friendships that are fostered between age groups (we like to call it "Big Sister/Big Brother"), and we have proof that those friendships last all the way through college and beyond.

Here's what we've got planned for summer:

JULY 8-12: RANDOM ACTS & SNEAKY SET-UPS. Last year we had two dozen kids flash-mobbing, creating "celebrities" out of the average Bellinghamster, and singing to riders on the city bus. It's fun-filled mischief that brings out the playfulness in everyone.

JULY 15-19: THE WUTCRAKER BOOT-CAMP. In preparation for The Wutcraker in December, campers get a jump on auditions for this community-wide intergenerational parody (winner of the Mayor's Arts Award). Campers will learn how to swordfight like the Rat King, rap like the Ice Gang, and dance like a Booger Flung Scary!

JULY 22-26: "SPRINKLE PARK—THE MUSICAL." Campers meet at Fairhaven Park this week with swimming suits, picnics, and imagination. We'll play tons of fun theatre games and create an original musical or a lip-sync performance to share on Friday with families in the park. Wet. Wacky. Fun!

JULY 29-August 2: THE WOZARD OF IZ. Of course you've heard of Toto... but have you heard of Dorothy's dog "Thumb Thumb?" And what about Auntie "Um," and "Professor Lost His Marbles?" And Elvis! What is Elvis doing in Oz?? A hilarious rendition on that old classic, kids' imaginations have warped this adventure into a new dimension. Parts for Middle School kids and younger.

HOW TO REGISTER: It's an old-fashioned approach, but it's indicative of the hands-on care BCT's summer camp offers your camper—simply do this:
1) click “Contact Us” and send us an email with your name and the name of your camper(s), how old they are, and what camp(s) they’re interested in attending.
2) We will send you a registration and medical release form to fill out. Please fill it out and mail it along with a check for tuition (made out to B.C.T.) to our MAILING ADDRESS: 809 Donovan Ave. Bellingham, WA 98225
3) We will send you a confirmation email
4) In early June, we will send out another email with camp details and potential car-pooling possibilities to all the families who have signed up for summer camp.

It's easy!
For more information, call Drue at (360) 734-9999

Educational Outreach

Educational Outreach

Elementary Schools

A comprehensive approach to creating theatre extends beyond throwing on a costume and learning, in one week’s time, lines someone else wrote. Bellingham Children’s Theatre offers after school, early release, and late arrival theatre options to elementary students interested in full-length plays and productions. Drue Robinson, BCT’s Founder and Director, is also a published playwright who has written over 25 original scripts — many of which include monologues and scenes created by the imaginations of her first elementary school casts. Part of BCT’s theatre education outreach philosophy is to challenge and engage students to enter the imaginative process through writing games, improvisation exercises, and collaborative creative brainstorming sessions to arrive at a script they can proudly own.

Lummi Island Beach School helped to originate “Robin Hood, Hobbin Rood, and Little Red Riding Hood.” Silver Beach students were instrumental in creating the wacky adaptations: “The Wozard of Iz” and “Peter Pun.” Birchwood Elementary students opted to create a play from scratch about their school mascot, in addition to staging “The Bremen Town Musicians.” Whether students want to adapt a well-known story, create one from their own imaginations, or stage an alumni show created in their elementary school, Drue and her teachers Angela Mills and Jessika Houston (both graduates of Cornish School of the Arts) offer a well-rounded, creative, and engaging approach to the fundamentals of acting, scripting, and producing. In addition, students learn to stage-manage, build sets, and costume. It’s theatre education from the ground up!

PTA representatives have contacted Drue directly to discuss special options for their students’ needs. Original school musicals, and IB World Tour cross-culturally enriched plays are always fun to create, and engage a wide-range of talents from students as well as teachers and staff. It’s truly a collaborative adventure, and loads of imagination seems to find its way to the stage, for all to enjoy.

If your school is interested in staging a show that has already been created, please contact us for a list of shows with parts for elementary age children. If you desire a custom-made play, please contact BCT to discuss the marvelous possibilities!

Testimonials:

As a parent and a PTA representative, I have come to appreciate Drue and the Bellingham Children’s Theatre for many reasons.  Drue engages a child’s entire imagination — from writing an original script that is custom-made for each group of children, to creating the set, to procuring costumes. At BCT, each and every child gets a significant role, and no one waits in the wings for their turn. BCT kids are active! My naturally dramatic daughter has developed real acting skills and an appreciation for theatre to go along with her confidence and desire to perform.  She has found her passion and we have found a teacher who can help that passion grow and blossom. As a PTA representative, I have been the parent liaison between BCT’s afterschool drama program and the school. Drue is incredibly responsible, both to her commitments and for her students. She practices and teaches creativity, inclusivity, goofiness, acting skills, set construction, and responsibility to the team. I could not have found a more approachable, fun, professional person to teach my child or to work with. - Veronica Douglas, Parent and PTA president

When BCT’s troupe of GIRLS INC performed their original show to our all-girl assembly, magic happened. Not only did the girls perform beautifully, they were also quite articulate as they shared their wisdom about such tough topics as bullying, eating habits, relationships, and self-esteem. Bellingham Children’s Theatre’s GIRLS INC. should be toured to every middle school in the State of Washington. - Tracy Sjostrom- Martinez, Former Vice-Principal, Shuksan Middle School

Drue? Oh my! She’s a wonderful director. I will never forget my time as an actor with Bellingham Children’s Theatre! It was so very special! - Noemi Ban, 88, retired educator and special speaker


Middle Schools & High Schools

The Conversation (part one): “Speak Up! Act Out!”

A performance-oriented workshop for teenagers who have something to say.

Dress Codes. Homework. Friendship. Body Image. Sex. Eating Disorders. Parents. Falling in love. Cutting. Sports. Reputations. Kindness. Teachers. Depression. Peer Pressure. Independence. Competition. College. Flunking out. Maintaining 4.0′s. Dance. Divorce. Hope. Family.  

This unique workshop takes what teens talk about in the hallways on their way to math and science, literature and computer tech, and offers these conversations a place center stage. The Conversation (part one): “Speak Up! Act Out!” offers a safe place for teenagers of all genders to ask the tough questions, talk openly about what matters to them, scares them, intrigues them, or confuses them. Together, over the course of a semester, this group will work toward staging a dynamic ensemble-based performance (Live!) using their own writings, songs, and interviews with other teenagers.

No acting experience is necessary. Respect for others’ points of view is crucial. This is engaging, risky, and real.

Get in on The Conversation: Speak Up! Act Out!

The Conversation (part two): Teens ~ Take Two!

Having experienced The Conversation (part one): Speak Up! Act Out! students of The Conversation (part two) Teens ~ Take Two! will work together to create a short documentary about what it means to be a teenager in the USA in the 21st Century.

They’ll learn the art of interviewing others, become familiar with video equipment, and together, work on editing and finalizing their film. Topics will vary. Each student team will have interview assignments, and work together to create a safe, honest, candid experience for everyone involved. Each participant will be invited to a screening of the documentary.
Don’t miss out on The Conversation (part two): Teens ~ Take Two!


Home Schooling Opportunities and Special Workshops by individual contract